Printing machine



June 26, 1945.

s. EDELS PRINT ING MACHINE FiledOct. 8, 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 g & w M I L zferp-k' J zazez I June 26, 1945. s EDELS 2,378,989

I I PRINTING MACHINE- Filed Oct. 8, 1941 e Sheet-Sheet 2 7 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 S. EDELS PRINTING MAcHIyE.

Filed 001;. 8, 1941 June 26, 1945.

June 26, 1945.

s. EDELS PRINTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 8, 1941 a sheiets-rsheet 4 I June 26, 1945.

SQEDELS PRINTING MACHINE Filed 0ct. a. 1941 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Junei26, 1945. s. EDELS BRINTING MACHINE- 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Fil'ed 0 ct..8. 1941 Patented June 26, 1845 PRINTING MACHINE Siegfried Edels, London W. 1, England, assignor of one-half to Rejafix Limited, London, England Application October 8, 1941, Serial No. 414,178 In Great Britain November 16, 1940 12 Claims.

This invention relates to printing machines,

namely to handor pedal-operated printing presses as well as to mechanically or motor driven printing presses, special advantages being provided by the invention, particularly in the case of printing presses for offset and znulti-colour printing. Various constructions of printing machines for offset printing are known, in which the impression is not directly made by the print ing forme on to the surface to be printed such as paper or the like, but the impression is first made upon an intermediate element, 1. e. a transfer pad which transfers the inked impression tov the article or work which is to be printed. The interposition of such a transfer element in printing presses and particularly that kind which is of an elastic or yielding character permits of paper being printed on one or both sides or of printing upon articles or surfaces which cannot readily be printed upon by the usual printing forme. The use of an elastic and yielding intermediate transfer pad has the effect that the printing owing to the elasticity of the pad can penetrate into all the irregularities of the surface to be printed on, whereby pictures and letter press with the finest details can be printed on the roughest paper or other rough faced materials. Most offset printing presses are constructed as rotary machines, and rotary machines are also known for multi-colour work. Offset printing machines of other types are also known, in which the printing forme co-operates with an intermediate element in the form of a transfer plate usually made of elastic material or having an elastic surface, the transfer plate which receives the impression from the inked printing forme being capable of being applied entirely freely to the surface to be printed on, so that not only level surfaces, such as paper, box surfaces and the like can be printed upon but also curved surfaces, such as bottles, tubes, handles and the like, and the printing is efi'ected by sliding the transfer plate in contact with and so causing the tube or the like to roll or rotate as it receives the impression. Machines for multi-colour printing are also known having printing elements in the form of a plate and transfer intermediate elements also of plate form, in which machines a printing plate is provided for each colour which can be manipulated individually but all the printing plates, however, cooperating with a transfer element common to all the printing plates in such a manner that the various printing plates and the transfer element are mounted on swinging levers, so that all the printing plates can be successively applied to the transfer element.

The printing machine forming the subject of the invention to be hereinafter described differs from all the previously known machines in that it is characterized by a hand or power operated swinging frame, the movement of which causes relative movement between the printing block,

and the transfer pad in one of two lateral directions so that the machine is adapted for direct printing, offset printing, and multi-colour printmg.

The machine is thus capable of a number of adaptations and also possesses advantages in manipulation which will be hereinafter described in detail.

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic elevation of a constructional form of an offset printing machine,

Figure 2 is a plan view,

Figure 3 is an end elevation of a modified form of machine for colour printing.

Figure 4 is a plan view of Figure 3,

Figures 5, 6 and '7 show details hereinafter referred to.

In the constructional form shown in Figures 1 and 2 Figure 8 is a diagrammatic elevation showing an inking mechanism of the drawings, the printing machine, which e. g. is constructed as a hand-operated printing machine for offset printing, consists of a base plate I carrying the transfer pad 2 which is adapted to be slidden laterally on rails 3 provided on the base plate. Hinged upon, and towards one end of the base plate at i, is a frame 5'which is extended over the base plate and terminates in a handle 6 and an adjustable stop leg 1. Such frame may be raised and lowered and a part of the frame is shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 in the raised position. Forming part of the frame 5, is, the

printing block 8 (or a forme or chase for letterpress or other set up matter) and this is pressed down upon the transfer pad in the position shown in Figure 1, by means of the handle 5 or a treadle, this pressure being relieved when the frame 5 is raised into the dotted line position by means of the handle 6. Suitable means are provided by which as the frame is raised, inking rollers will apply ink to the lower surface of the printing block 8, so that when the frame is lowered an inked impression is produced upon the transfer pad 2. These inking means however do not form part of the invention, but are briefly here inafter referred to for the sake of clearness.

After receiving the printing impression, and while the frame is being raised, the transfer pad is caused to slide toward the right in Figure 1 along the rails 3, so that the transfer pad may impart the inked impression thereon to the article or object which is to be printed. If the article to be printed consists of a tube l0, such tube ll] isfreely mounted upon a mandrel II carried by an arm l2 pivoted at [3 to the base plate. As shown in Figure 1 the tube is held by being weighted in such a position that as the transfer pad is moved to the right, so that. upper surface of'fthe pad in. passing under: the tubewill frictionall'y rotate the tube so that the inked impression on the pad is rolled off upon the tube.

If however the'print desired is to be flat, then 7 the tube and the mandrel are swung out ofiac= tion by pivoting the arm {2 around its pivot l3.

A fiat print can now be obtained by' pressing'asheet of paper or the like uponthe'pad'. During this time the frame and the inkingscylinder 9e are still in the raised dotted 1ineposition-?and:-

this affords a clear open space at the handle end of the machine, so that the operator has a that the. tube II! should be raised; out of contact with the pad. For this purpose. th framecarry:-

gage the cylinder 9.

ing; the pad is formed with-twoprojecting pins Illa..- and l-flb and. a. weighted arm- IZw depends from the axis of the mandrel carrying the. tube, which arm in the position shown in:li ig-ure l is acting as a strut to. slightly raise the: workpiece Ill from above.- the: level-of the upper; surface-of the transfer pad- 2-. When-the p'adisEn0W moved tow the .righttthe: pin 1 lflav thereon strikesagainst the arm I211 and swings it in an anticlockwise direction so that i it! no. longer acts: as: a. strut to raise. thetubeal O-Abut allows it to: dropso :tha-t'the inked impression onthe pad will beirolled off-on the" tube. At= thecompletion ofthe: pad-move:- ment the pin': lflb. moves'past the. arm. I211: and swings-it idlyback. Onreturnstroke of-the-pad to the left thepin IDb moves-thedependinggarm Ila in. a clockwise; direction so" that its end is forced downiagainst the base and against-a-stop pi-nl 2b.and-.so lifts the mandrel clear of the pa'd'. Towards. the end '-of the movement to the left. of the pad, the-pin Illa strikes the arm I20 and idly liftsit and theworkpiecein passing;

For laterally moving the transfer-pad backward and forward'in unison with the movements of the "frame, alinkage'mechanism I45. I5, I6; is arranged between a fixed cross bar t8: near" the pivoted end of. the frame; and one: end of' a frame H which carries the transfer part2: The link l5v in this linkage is pivoted: at about. its centre at [5a upon-a5 fixed-bracket. l5'b. In:the full line; position of this-linkage as" shown in Fig.- ure 1, the transfer pad is receiving the; inked impression, and the dotted position of the: links corresponds with the pad in the printing; position.

The machine shown in Figures: 1 and.'2;-: permits not only of .offset printing, inone-coloun but may be; used; for: direct: or! letterpress printing: when the yielding; transfer: pad would be.- replaced .iby' a hard plate; and the-linkage; l4; |-5;. l.6"wou'ld1.be disconnected. Again: the 1 hand operation orthe frame. 53may 'bereplaced by a power drive astfrom an electric motortnot shown. In aifurther alternative use of this machinepthemandrel H'may serve to: support an impression roller bymeans of which aweb of paper; .fabriczor: other. material may be; pressedagainst the -inkedzimpressionl on the transfer pad;

With reference to Figure 8 it may be stated that the transfer of ink from the ink distributing cylinder.9 to the printingblock 8 is effected by a linkageimechanism which is additional to that by which the transfer pad is reciprocated and is here omitted for the sake of clearness, but which is actuated by the raising and lowering movement of'theframe 5 as before. For this purpose, a pair of ink transferring rollers are supported by rods 'fifi and' 58 ofwhich only those on one side of the apparatus are shown. The rods 58 are pivotedatvfifl on the frame 5 and in the position shownrby 'fulllines in Figure 8 the rollers 55 en- The end of each rod 58 opposite the rollers 55 is pivoted at to one end eta-link 6i, theother endof which is pivoted at 62:on;.abracket .63"fixed tothe base I, and eccentric-relatively to the centre 4 upon which the frame 5 ischin-gedw When the frame and cylinder 9- are raised-into-the dotted line position,.the movement causes therods 56, 58- and. link 6| to double uptas shown. so that by'th'e two different centres- BZ and 4, the rods 56, 58- are oscillated about its pivot 59and.-mcve the inking rollers. 44 from the cylinder 9 down-over the printing block 8, andso inking: the latter.

In.-the modification shownin Figures. 3 and 4, multicolour printing may-be effected by amachine similar-to-Figures- 1 and 2. For this purpose the basepla-te. I-, framei; printingablock 8- and transferpa'd-Z-remain thersame but-instead of the latter beinglaterally moved at a: right angle to the axis-ofthe inking, cylinder 9, it is. moved laterallya-nd parallel with the. axis of such cylinder; along rails l9-as shown in-FigureA; to beyond one:side ofthe frame 5. This movement is eifect= ed:.by a double armed lever. 20; 21 fulcrumed at 22- on the base I, and 'a 2-3.:which isiconnected to the transfer-padZ. The nose-end of the lever arm:2l:is=pressed against acam 24 which is-designed. to be: actuated by the rising movement. of the'--frame 5r. The inkingcylinder in this case is madeiwithtwo-sections. 9a; 9b: for twolcolours, these being;'indicated by the two sets of cross hatched lines: When desired three-or four colours may-be provided for. As; shown'in: Figure-41.11: is assumedrthat a two-colour-imprint istobe made upon a tube lo similar tothat showninF'igure 1.

The 'cam 44 is made as an edge cam having three separate :and similar cam. groups on its periphery. Each cam24--is made with three steps 43; 44, 45 of progressiveheight and-thecam is adapted to b'evalways turned in one direction by apawl 46 pivoted. on: the: swinging hub of' the frame. At eachupward movement of the frame .so thepawl 4-6by; engaging.- notches on the-cam -24 willrotate itfon adist-ance of one-step intone of the cam groups... As each step 4-3 to- 45c'is brought into position so'thenose on the end-of the double armedrlever pressing, against, the steps, is actuatedzto move" successively through its two-colour receiving stages' and". then beyond the frame to printfthe' workpiece. Ateach down stroke :of the frame the'pawl '46-m'oves freely over the notches on: thei camr disc: After thefinal. printing operation: the pad is-returnedto its starting position by 'the:spring 4:1; the nextcam group being now-in position ready; forthe next: series of operations. The: first rising. movementof" the frame is: pref erably a: full'one, butr the: two subsequent rising movements correspondirigto the steps 44 and-'45 may be relatively short.

Referring: to Figure 5 which shows-on an enlarged scale-the linkage [4; I5 and l-fi between theeframerand the transfer: pad, a-slot' 25' is provided with which engages the pivot pin 26 between the part I"! and the link IS, the slot allowing for a certain amount of lost motion before the sliding movement of the transfer pad commences.

This will have the effect that the transfer pad will 6 not receive any sliding movement before the printing block is raised clear of its surface and so prevent any distortion of the inked impression on the transfer pad, as the sliding of the pad will only be picked up after the pin 26 has reached the further end of the slot.

The modification shown in Figures 6 and 7, shows an arrangement whereby a rotary magazine 21 is adapted to carry four tubular concompletes its movement to the right, the cam surface 4la comes into contact with the next pin 42 and is deflected downwards so that the hook-shaped pawl may snap up behind the pin ing frame, and actuated by hand, foot or power tainers I0 on mandrels II and is mounted on the base plate I, the magazine being turned stepwise by the movement of the frame 5, to bring a new container into position for being printed upon. For this purpose as shown in Figure 6, the magazine is carried by bracket 28 upon the base and the magazine frame carries four mandrels H which are each similar to that shown in the previous figures, and a tubular container I0 is slipped on to each mandrel to overhang the transfer pad, whereby the lowest con- 5 tainer will be in a position to roll off the impression from the transfer pad, as it moves to the right in Figure 6. During the return movement of the pad to the left, the magazine is given a part rotation to bring the next mandrel and 30 tube into position to be printed upon. This is effected by attaching the transfer pad through a connection 29 to a link 30, which in turn is pivoted to one arm of a two-armed lever 3!. 32,

fulcrumed at 33 upon a bearing bracket 34 se- 35 cured to the base I. The other arm 32 of the two-armed lever is slotted at 35 to engage a pin 36 carried on a lever 31 fulcrumed at 38 upon the bearing bracket 34. It may be explained that the machine in Figure 6 is intended to be operated by power e. g. an electric motor. Such motor by means not shown causes the frame 5 to be raised and lowered as previously described, and also oscillates the lever 31.

The linkage shown in thisfigure replaces that shown in Figures 1 and 2. To the lever 31 is pivoted at 39, a rod 40 ending in a pawl 4| of hook shape and having a cam surface Ma. The hook pawl engages one of four pins 42 projecting from the frame of the magazine 21, and the pins correspond with the axes of the respective mandrels II. The hooked pawl 4! is held in engagement with any of the pins 42 by a spring 43 anchored to the magazine frame. By such an arrangement it will be'understood that as the transfer pad bearing the inked impression is moved to the right in Figure 6 by the rising action of the frame 5, the inked impression is simultaneously rolled off on the lowest container I!) carried by the magazine frame which dur-fiO ing this movement is held stationary. This outward movement of the pad by means of the link 30 rocks the double-armed lever 31 and 32, and swings the lever 31 to the right and releases the pawl 4| from the pin 42. With the inward movement of the pad the pawl rod 40 is moved to the left and the magazine is now adjusted so as to bring the next container into position to be printed thus with each successive movement of the transfer pad, so the magazine T0 As the pawl rod 40 gives a printing impression on a work piece or an inking impression on a transfer pad, this said movement of the frame also being made to laterally move the transfer pad in line with the frame for single-colour work or crosswise thereto for multi-colour work.

Such a machine is capable of many varieties of work as follows:

Single-colour work (a) Direct printing upon a hard platen to replace the yielding pad.

(b) Offset printing on a flat surface.

(0) Offset printing on a rolled off or a curved surface such as a tubular container.

(d) Offset printing by the operator rolling the work piece on the transfer pad.

(e) Ofiset printing on a large work piece owing to the work-space obtained by the raised frame.

(f) Offset printing on containers supported in a magazine moved stepwise to print containers in turn one after the other.

M ulti-colour work (Q) Direct printing. (h) Offsetprinting on a flat surface.

(i) Offset printing by rolling off on a tubular container.

(9') Offset printing in series on a number of tubular containers carried by a magazine.

(7c) Offset printing by rolling the work piece on the flat transfer pad, the machine affording a side space to deal with large or small work pieces.

I claim:

1. A portable printing apparatus comprising in combination, a. base, an operating frame pivoted thereon, a printing block carried on the frame, means for inking the printing block as the frame is hinged upwards, a transfer pad slidably supported onthe base to receive a print as the frame is moved downward, means extended between the operating frame and the transfer pad, whereby as the frame is raised, the

pad is slid forward to a fre working space, and

means whereby the transfer pad may give a direct print upon a workpiece.

2. A portable printing apparatus comprising a base, parallel rail guides thereon, an operating frame pivoted on the base, a printing block carried on the frame, means for inking the printing block as the frame is hinged upwards, a transfer pad supported on the rail guides on the base, adapted to receive a print from the printing block, as the frame is hinged down, a pivoted linkage connecting together the operating frame and the transfer pad so that when the frame is raised, the pad bearing the imprint thereon is slid forward to a free working space, where a flat print may be applied upon a, workpiece.

3. In a printing apparatus as claimed in claim 'movement; of agtransfer, pad, means whereby'the printon the pad is rolled off upon the" tubular workpiece during the outwardstroke ofthe pad, and means for raising; the lever and mandrel during, the return stroke, of: thepad to prevent surface contact of the workpiece-therewith.

5. In a printing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, the combination of a hinged operating frame carrying a printing block, a transfer pad, a pivoted linkage between the frame and. pad,to move the latter to and fro, and a lost motion device whichconnects the linkage to the. pad, so thatthemovement' of thepad does not. commence until after the printing block has been raised clear of the transfer pad.

6. A portable ofi'set' printing apparatus, comprising a base, parallel rail guides thereon, an operating frame pivoted on the base, a printing block carried on the frame, means for inking the printing block as the frame is hingedf upwards, a transfer pad supported on the rail guideson the base adapted to receive a print as the frame is hinged down, apivoted linkage system connecting together the operating frame and the transfer pad to slide thepad backward and forward on the base iIr-unisonwith'the-upand down movementsof the hinged frame, a bracket on the base, a rotary frame carried by the bracket. a plurality of mandrels projecting. on the rotary frame spaced apart in circular formation and transversely-overhanging the .base, the lowest being in the path of i the transfer pad, said mandrels forming: supports for, tubular workpieces, and means whereby after one workpiece hasbeen printed, the said rotary frame is moved stepwise to bring another mandrel and blank workpiece into position ready for the transfer padto pass thereunder and roll offithe imprint thereon on to the workpiece;

'7. In aportable printing apparatuses claimed inclaim 6, the combination with the rotary frame on the bracket, of a plurality of pins projecting from" one side of the frame, of the same number as that of the mandrels on the other side, a pawl linked to the sliding transfer pad, and means whereby when the transfer pad has rolled-off its impression on a tubular workpiece, the rotary frame isturned by the pawl to bring another workpieceintoposition ready to receive an impression onthe-nextystroke of the transfer pad.

8. A-,portable offset multi-color-printing apparatus comprisingin combination, a base, an operating frame pivoted thereon, a printing block carried-i on the-frame and having a plurality of printing sections. means for multi-color inking the sections of the printing block successively each time theframe is hinged upwards, a transfer padrofthe samewidth as one of the printing-block sections and: slidablyv supported on the base, means extended between the hand operated frame and the transfer pad; whereby each, time the: frame is raised, the padis movedrintermit tently andntransversely across the'basefor a distanceequal to one section of the printing block, soas to-successively/receive a series of imprints in diiferent colors which are subsequently printed offupon a suitablesurface when the pad: completes its transverse travel.

9. The'combinationwith a multi-color printing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, of a tubular workpiece receiving mandrel carried on the base in the path of travel of the pad; whereby when the pad has received itsifull number ofmulticolor imprints the said imprints are' rolled; off upon the workpiece during the'final travel'of the pad; i i

10. A multi-color printing apparatus as claimed in claim 8, in which the means for moving the pad transversely across the base comprise in com;- bination a double-armed lever pivoted on the base. a link extending between one arm of, the lever and the transfer pad, stepped cam means actuated by the movements of the operating frame'which engage with the other arm of: the lever, whereby as the frame makes its various hinging movements the cam by its several steps intermittently movesthe transfer pad to receive a series of color imprints in succession, and spring means to: return the'pad' to its-original starting position on the base, after it has completed its transverse travel and printed-off itsmulti-colored imprint.

11. A portable printing apparatus comprising a base, parallel rail guides thereon, anoperating frame pivoted'on the; base, a printing block' carried on the frame; means for inking the printing block. as the frame is-- hinged upwards, a transfer pad supported: on therail guides on the base adaptedto-receive a print from the printing block as he frame is hinged down, a pivoted linkage connecting together the operating frame and; the transfer pad for moving the pad forward on the base, a mandrel for supporting a tubular workpiece, a lever pivoted at one end on the base, and carrying both mandrel and the workpiece at its free end, the lever being movable into one position to enabletheworkpiece to receive a rolledoif impression from the pad, or movable into a second inoperative position to enable a flat print tobe taken off the pad.

12. A portable printing apparatus comprising abase, parallel rail guides thereon, an operating frame pivoted on the baseya printing block carried on the frame, means for inking the printing block as the frameis moved upwards, a transfer 1 pad supported on the rail guides onthe base,

adapted'to receivea-print from the printing block as the frame ishinged down, a pivoted linkage connecting togetherthe operating frame and the pad for moving the latter to and fro on the base in unison withthe up and: down movements of the frame, a lever pivoted at one end on the base, a mandrel on the free end of the lever for supporting a tubular workpiece; a weighted; hinged strut on the free end of the lever adapted to rest on the base,- a stopfor limiting the hinging movement of thestrut in one direction, and pins projec-tingfrom the padso that during the outward stroke ofthe pad; the strut is moved free to allow the-tubular, workpiece to receive-a rolled-ofi'impression, but on-thereturn movement of the pad, the strut is-operated to prevent the workpiece from making. contact with the pad.

SIEGFRIED' EDELS': 

